


A Taste of Your Own Medicine

by interestedbystander



Series: The Subtle Redemption of Lance Tucker [2]
Category: The Bronze (2015)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fatherhood, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 01:03:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16007039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/interestedbystander/pseuds/interestedbystander
Summary: Lance deals with petulance of his own - his 16YO daughter, Charlotte.





	A Taste of Your Own Medicine

**Author's Note:**

> A series of one shots - the evolution of Lance Tucker and the loves of his life.
> 
> I will be adding new one-shots as stand alone parts - so you don't want to miss out, I would suggest subscribing to the series :)

Lance Tucker was starting to damage the tread on your expensive floorboards, you realised as he checked his watch for the umpteenth time. He paced a long line down the hallway towards the front door before opening it, scanning towards the driveway while he sipped the scotch in his palm, muttering to himself and closing the door again, heading back towards you as you watched on, exceptionally humoured and scoffing popcorn slathered in caramel.

“Lottie won’t be far, Lance. You just need to relax,” you said for what felt like the millionth time and gently reminded him, “Her curfew is still another half an hour. _Trust her_. Or at least pretend that you are.”

“Trust… I do trust _her_. I do not trust _that boy_ who has taken her to the dance,” he hissed back in reply.

“Why not? He seemed lovely earlier tonight when we met him,” you smiled sweetly at the flowers he’d brought for you and were sitting pretty on the dining table but gee, it was still so easy to press Lance’s buttons, you thought gleefully as the tips of his ears started to redden. Especially in situations just like this.

“Baby?” he begged, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Any other day, I love it when you tease me. Right now, it’s just pissing me off more,” Lance replied.

“I’m sorry,” you said honestly. “I know you’re ticked off. I don’t quite get why – ”

“Because teenage boys only want one thing on the night of the school dance,” he reiterated loudly, cutting you off.

“And pray tell, my darling husband, what might that be?” you couldn’t resist breaking into a wide smile. If he was going to speak to you like you were beneath him, he could handle a bit more bullshit from you.

“You know exactly what it is,” he replied, his tone telling you not to test him but you couldn’t back down now. “Sex! It’s what they all want! They want to touch my daughter with their fifthly hands and all those raging hormones – ”

“And when do they run out, exactly?” you raised an eyebrow as a giggle bubbled from your lips and you swapped popcorn for hot tea, the movie you’d sat down to share well and truly forgotten about now and you paused it before you missed more.

Not surprisingly, Lance didn’t reply. No, after 40, his sex drive and stamina had well and truly remained. Sure, it was harder to find time these days with two daughters in the house, but he would still take sex 24/7 if offered.

“Baby,” you tried. “Lottie is a smart girl. If she likes him enough and it happens, you know she is clever enough to make the right decision and protect herself.”

Lance stopped to look at you. “So you _do_ think they’re having sex!”

“Hey,” you held your hands up. “Don’t accuse me.”

“Has she spoken to you about this?” Lance continued, pacing again, his long fingers wringing at his curls, agitated.

“Lance, she and I don’t chat about that kind of thing. I leave boys and relationships to Maggie,” you defended yourself. “All I know is that she was excited to be going to the dance with a boy she fancied. I don’t know why you’re overreacting like this,” you rolled your eyes, turning your attention to the TV.

“I was that boy,” Lance reminded you evenly. “…in case you’ve forgotten.”

“Oh, I haven’t,” you muttered. “Trust me, I’m well aware of the exploits of a young Lance Tucker. But I don’t think your teenage daughter needs to hear about them.”

“Probably not,” he said meekly. “You can see why I’m so worried, right? If that kid is just like me and he hurts her – ”

You sighed. “It won’t be like that, Lance,” you promised softly, feeling a little bad for him while you absently changed channels, looking a some sport that could distract him. “Can we just enjoy this kid-free time? Lottie is a school dance, Georgia is at a sleepover.”

Pausing, Lance gave you a cheeky grin and you watched his mind start jogging into action. “No children. And baseball and sex are my options?”

“You get one or the other,” you rolled your eyes as he athletically bounded over the back of the couch and lowered his body onto yours, sinking between your waiting legs. “Haven’t lost that spring in your step after all these years,” you goaded as he chewed his lip before breaking into a dimpled smile.

“As fit as a fiddle my dear wife and still giving the kids a run for their money in the gym.”

You pulled his t-shirt from his torso and was met with razor sharp abs that were still as powerful as when he was in his twenties and winning Gold medals. Amazing. “So, it’s a no to the baseball?”

“I fuckin’ _hate_ baseball.”

“Yeah, I know,” you laughed as his lips met yours.

* * *

“She’s missed her curfew,” Lance grumbled as he pulled his boxers, adjusting his junk back into place and jeans back on before whipping a t-shirt over his head. He stood up straight and ran his fingers through his hair, attempting to tame his post-sex mussed hair. Post-sex cuddles be damned as he checked his watch again. But it was probably for the best – Lottie didn’t need the trauma of walking in on his father and step-mother entangled on the family couch.

“And there goes the magic,” you replied, pulling yourself up with wonky legs from the couch cushions to retrieve your clothes that were discarded around the room. “She won’t be far. I’m sure she isn’t going out of her way to do this on purpose, sweetheart.”

“She is my daughter,” Lance reluctantly reminded you.

“True – she may have the ability to scoff in the face of every rule she is ever made to adhere to,” you joked thoughtfully as Lance rubbed his handsome face, suddenly very weary.

Hearing the door unlock a few minutes later, Lance thundered to it, greeting his daughter who held her heels in her hands. She didn’t look happy to be greeted at the door. “Charlotte, you’re late.”

“Don’t start, Dad. I’m just not in the mood,” she muttered, slamming the door and pushing past him to get to the stairs.

Not one for disrespect by his children, Lance breathed. “Charlotte, stop right there.”

Waiting but not turning back, Lottie exhaled. “Dad, can we just do this in the morning? I’m tired and my feet hurt.”

“No. You’re here, turn and look at me and explain why you were late, young lady.”

Lottie’s shoulders drooped. “Fine,” she turned to look at her father and you sighed, seeing her face. Her bright blue eyes sad and dull, posture weak. “I went to the dance and got dumped. Then my friends all left with their dates and I had to walk home because I couldn’t get _you_ on the phone to pick me up. By the way, if you could turn your phone on and not put it directly to voicemail, it would help me a lot,” she told him, not taking a breath. “You know, me? Your teenage daughter.”

You waited for Lance to reply, but he appeared speechless – it wasn’t often that Lance Tucker couldn’t find the words for a snarky retort. When it didn’t come, you spoke up, “Lottie, honey. Go upstairs and take your make off. I’ll be up soon with some hot chocolate, sweetheart,” you told her as she barely nodded and turned to go.

“Sorry, baby,” Lance mumbled after her.

“Whatever,” she sniped, stomping up the stairs.

You sighed quietly and went to Lance, wrapping your arms around his waist – still strong from the hours he still managed in the gym and the occasional challenge he set himself on the rings or pommel horse. “You weren’t to know,” you whispered in reassurance, kissing the nape of his neck.

His skin broke out in goose bumps as he shook his head. “I’m such an asshole.”

“Lance, baby, neither of us expected her night to be so terrible. Let her shower and get ready for bed. You can take the cocoa up and give her a hug. She needs her dad to reassure her not all guys are complete assholes.”

“She’ll tell me to fuck off,” he reckoned.

“Probably,” you agreed. “She’s a teenager. But she still needs her father.”

“Can’t you just go in?”

“No. You’re going to do this – you’ll be better for it, darling.”

He groaned. “But teenage girls are scary.”

It wasn’t hard to argue and you certainly didn’t oppose. “Go,” you ushered, kissing his jaw and giving him a gentle push. “Make her hot chocolate and get it upstairs to give her a hug.”

“Okay,” he said with a sigh. “Thanks,” he leaned down to kiss you. “I love you, wife. If I don’t come back, tell my Twitter and Insta followers that I love them.”

“Oh, my God, you are such an asshole,” you rolled your eyes and headed upstairs, ready for bed yourself.

* * *

Lance appeared a while later, stripping down to his boxers and snaking under the cool linen sheets with you. He took your iPad from you, placing it on the bedside table and resting his chin on your shoulder, looking up at you with his baby blues earnestly. “I need to buy a gun.”

“That isn’t a conversation starter,” you said, making a face. “Neither will it ever happen in this house.”

“My daughter, my beautiful girl, was dumped. She told me it was because she didn’t want to have sex and that little bastard got all cut up about it, he called her a cock tease and stomped away, little pissant. Then when she got back to the gym, all her friends had gone.”

“Is she okay? He didn’t hurt her?” your maternal instinct kicked in immediately. 

“Yeah,” Lance said softly. “She said they kissed and he only propositioned her to go back to one of his friend’s place.”

You cupped his cheek. “I’m proud of her for knocking him back. I’m proud of you for not going to knock his teeth out.”

He grunted as a reply, you knew he wanted to and you hugged him tighter to you. “Wanna know what else she said to me?”

You gave a meagre shrug, you didn’t have a clue.

“She didn’t want to be a young mom like Maggie. She wants to graduate high school, college, see the world. Then she said, ‘I can have sex at anytime, but it’s gotta be right’ and all her friends were having sex with randoms, she wanted it to mean something.”

If only for a second, you saw a light in Lance’s eyes that you didn’t see often. “You have a pretty special girl there, Lance.”

“Yeah,” he said wistfully although you knew he didn’t need to be reminded. “Both the girls are so much smarter than I ever expected. This little man is gonna have to have his wiles about him if he wants to keep up with them,” he gently cupped your swollen tummy. “I guess we’ll know soon enough.”

“He better be strong or his older sisters will walk right over him,” you snickered a laugh. “You’re an amazing dad, Lance. You convinced me years ago and your girls love you more than anything. Don’t question yourself over some dickhead teenage boy. Lottie did the right thing.”

“He is a dickhead,” Lance agreed.

“It’s kind of funny how the tide has changed though,” you told him as he snuggled into you. “How you were the boy that fathers were wary of and now… _that’s you_.”

“Goodnight, dear,” he rolled his eyes, turning off the light. “Love you.”

You giggled, rolling over to relax against his warmth, baby bump catching him in the lower back and he gave a pleased humm. “Love you too, Fucker.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Interested Bystander writes](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/interestedbystanderwrites) on Tumblr.  
> 


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